No. 3 small company: Encompass Home Health

Updated 6:00 am, Saturday, November 10, 2012

Pam Pallera, a physical therapist with Encompass Home Health, does a shoulder exercise with Fay Allison, a client of Regal Estates of League City.

Pam Pallera, a physical therapist with Encompass Home Health, does a shoulder exercise with Fay Allison, a client of Regal Estates of League City.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

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No. 15 Encompass Home Health ranked as the 15th-best workplace in the nation.

No. 15 Encompass Home Health ranked as the 15th-best workplace in the nation.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

No. 3 small company: Encompass Home Health

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April Anthony understands that caring for elderly patients in their homes can be emotionally taxing. So she makes sure Encompass Home Health employees get the time off they need to recharge.

All Encompass employees earn four weeks of paid time off each year, and they are able to start taking it after just 90 days of employment. Encompass makes sure that any unused time doesn't go to waste. As much as 40 hours of unused time per year, up to 400 hours total, can be socked away to use in case of an extended employee illness.

Anthony, CEO of Encompass, which has 129 local employees who are spread out over five Houston-area offices and are deployed daily to client homes, said the company's generous time-off policy is based on the demanding nature of the job.

"Our employees know that it will never be OK for them to come in tired or spent or give a half-baked effort," Anthony said. "That day, they are caring for someone's parent. They have to work hard every single day, so we give them lots of time off so they can be rejuvenated. It keeps them engaged, and presents a positive return to our patients."

Encompass also provides a car for any employee who drives more than 14,000 miles per year. The company, a Medicare-certified home-health care service provider that employs more than 3,500 people nationally, offers a Ford Escape.

Employees can take intensive training courses at the Encompass Development Center in Dallas. Some of the courses are taught by Anthony herself, as well as the company's chief operating officer.

The development and education center helps breed new career paths for employees, based on their areas of interest. Last year, 74 percent of the company's supervisory positions were filled by existing staff.

"The idea is to create an environment that fosters professional development and gives them access to new opportunities," Anthony said.